Art Workshops Research Articles

Extending Arts-Based Interventions in Graduate Medical Education through the Positive Humanities: the Re-FRAME Workshop.

Arts-and-humanities-based interventions are commonly implemented in medical education to promote well-being and mitigate the risk of burnout. However, mechanisms for achieving these effects remain uncertain within graduate medical education. The emerging field of the positive humanities offers a lens to examine whether and how arts-based interventions support well-being in internal medicine interns. Through program evaluation of this visual art workshop, we used a positive humanities framework to elucidate potential mechanisms by which arts-based curricula support well-being in internal medicine interns. We launched the re-FRAME workshop at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in winter 2020. Fifty-six PGY-1 trainees from one internal medicine residency program. The 3-h re-FRAME workshop consisted of an introductory session on emotional processing followed by two previously described arts-based interventions. Participants completed an immediate post-workshop survey (91% response rate) assessing attitudes towards the session. Analysis of open-ended survey data demonstrated 4 categories for supporting well-being among participants: becoming emotionally aware/expressive through art, pausing for reflection, practicing nonjudgmental observation, and normalizing experiences through socialization. Our project substantiated proposed mechanisms from the positive humanities for supporting well-being-including reflectiveness, skill acquisition, socialization, and expressiveness-among medical interns.

Possibility of alleviating difficulties of health and social care professionals engaged in end-of-life care through Clinical Art program.

Health and social care professionals experience high-stress levels during end-of-life care. Various intervention programs have been proposed to reduce stress and prevent burnout among physicians and nurses, including arts-based activities that have shown potential. However, it is unclear how art programs can alleviate stress among healthcare professionals providing end-of-life care. This study aimed to explore the potential of Clinical Art programs to alleviate distress in professionals providing end-of-life care. Two Clinical Art workshops, held in October and November 2020, were attended by local health and social care professionals. Focus groups were conducted with those who attended and consented to participate in the study. Verbatim transcripts were made, and a qualitative analysis of the text was conducted. Thirteen health and social work professionals participated in the study. Perceived difficulties in end-of-life care included the complexity and uncertainty of end-of-life care services, the approaches to patients and families, and the difficulties due to human aspects of healthcare providers. The positive effects of Clinical Art included pure enjoyment of art, empathic communication with patients and families and the application of an ontological view of human beings, which were identified as reasons for Clinical Art's effectiveness and applicability to care. The results suggest that the Clinical Art program has a psychosocial moderating effect on health and social work professionals and can be used for empathic communication with patients and families in end-of-life care and for applying an ontological view of human beings in caring for patients.

Analysis Of Chayote Puree Addition To The Quality Of Spent Layer Hens Dumplings

The research is motivated by the use of spent layerhens which is still lacking compared to broiler chickens, because the meat is tough, so it is not enjoyed by some people. The addition of chayote puree in this research, because chayote contains has 6.7% pectin compound that is useful for thickening the texture of spent layerhens dumplings. This reseacrch aims to analyze the effect of adding chayote puree with a percentage of 0%, 15%, 25%, 35% on the quality of spent layerhens dumplings. This type of research is an experiment, using a completely randomized design (CRD) with 4 treatments and 3 repetitions. The research data was obtained from a questionnaire assessment by 3 expert panelists from the organoleptic test in October - November 2022 at the Padang State University Culinary art workshop then continued with the ANAVA Test and Duncan's Test if Fcount > Ftable. Based on the research, the best neat shape in all treatments with a score of 3.44 (quite neat), the best uniform shape in all treatments with a score of 3.33 (quite uniform), the best yellowish white color in treatment X1 with a score of 3.22 (quite uniform). (yellowish white), the best fragrant scent of dumplings in treatment X3 with a score of 3.33 (quite fragrant), the best chewy texture in treatment X3 with a score of 4.00 (chewy), the best savory taste in treatment X3 with a score of 3.78 (quite tasty), the best chayote flavor was in treatment X3 with a score of 4.00 (tasted chayote). From these results, the more chayote puree is given, the result is a chewy texture and feels chayote. The best quality test results for spent layerhens dumplings with the addition of chayote puree were treatment X3 with the addition of 35% chayote puree.

Reflections on the heuristic power of Contemplative Art in teaching and research

In this article I discuss the heuristic power of combining contemplative and creative practices using different stages of my research into learning through contemplation. This began with a realisation I had, in my first meditation retreat, about the similarities between creative and contemplative consciousness. It initiated twenty-three years of applied and theoretical research that started with contemplative art workshops I ran in rehabilitation centres. In PhD research that followed I tested a hypothesis of learning through contemplation founded on the concept of an elemental ground of learning that contained an integrating force I termed the feeling nexus. In later research examining the egress of meaning where practitioners return from contemplation, I discovered that art-making can act as a bridge between pre-conceptual knowing and cognitive assimilation of that knowledge. Recently I created the Meditative Process Art (MPA) method that engages the heuristic power of combining creative and contemplative practices.

THE SOFT TOYS AS A CONSOLATION PLAY-OBJECT IN SCHOOL AFTER THE COVID PERIOD. THE “TEDDY BEAR PROJECT” IN PRIMARY ART CLASSROOM

Right after the post-COVID era, first-grade primary school children not only had to adapt to the school environment but also to make up for the social and emotional isolation they had experienced in the previous two years. Pupils experienced great difficulties in terms of their emotional response to the relational social networks that develop during their integration into primary school. This need, created the "Teddy bear project", a project that was shared with all first-grade classes in an experimental primary school in Greece. The project was carried out in three phases, during which, the students worked with their teddy bears in the art workshop. The transitional soft toys provided the children with feelings of comfort, companionship and intimacy. The children had the opportunity to observe themselves through their dolls and their classmates through their own dolls. Children developed empathy for others and made connections through their play-objects to themselves, their classmates and the school environment.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0005/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Occupational Therapy & Art Education: Interprofessional Collaboration for Inclusive Remote Learning

Interprofessional collaboration is considered best practice in all areas of health care and interprofessional education (IPE) activities are an essential part of pre-professional education programs. IPE activities typically occur between healthcare profession students but not between programs outside of healthcare where professionals are likely to collaborate such as occupational therapy (OT) and schoolteachers. Here we describe an innovative IPE activity between OT and Art Education students who collaborated to apply theories from each discipline to create remote asynchronous inclusive art workshops during the pandemic. Art Education majors developed the workshop curricula and OT students developed strategies to modify the activities to facilitate participation for children with disabilities. The collaboration between the students was highly beneficial to both groups as they were introduced to the objectives, modalities, and approaches of each discipline while enhancing understanding of the distinct value that each provide within the education setting, thus increasing the likelihood of developing stronger interprofessional relationships in the future. The project facilitated other essential learning including researching and applying best practices for asynchronous learning, adapting activities for specific participation or learning needs, incorporating adaptations using principles of Universal Design for Learning, and preparing family friendly resources in a remote format.

A Review of the Integrated Creative Arts Curriculum Implementation in Nigerian Teacher Education Colleges

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the implementation of Integrated Creative Arts (ICA) curriculum in Teacher Education Colleges (TECs) in Nigeria.
 Methodology: The paper used a desk study review methodology where relevant empirical literature was reviewed to identify main themes and to extract knowledge gaps.
 Findings: The study concluded that the lack of schemes of work, lesson plans, ICA syllabus and handbooks has a negative an impact on the implementation of ICA curriculum in TECs in Nigeria.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommends that the college management should make it a point of duty to avail art rooms, workshops and music rooms in all Teachers Education Colleges (TECs) with adequate provision of equipment, and tools this will make teaching and learning of the subject to be meaningful, as the students will have the opportunity to be engaging in practical works, which is the major aspect of the curriculum; Instructional materials should be provided and their usage be made compulsory in TECs.

The impact of remote arts on prescription: Changes in mood, attention and loneliness during art workshops as mechanisms for wellbeing change

The impact of remote arts on prescription: Changes in mood, attention and loneliness during art workshops as mechanisms for wellbeing change

Efficiency of technology for early identification of giftedness in children aged 6-7 through contemporary art

Introduction. The efficiency of early identification of children’s giftedness by means of contemporary art in the conditions of “art workshop” is mediated by the extent to which the technology used for this purpose meets the scientific ideas about comparative effectiveness of implemented diagnostics. However, the efficiency of ISKRA technology for early identification of endowments based on contemporary art has not yet been a subject of special research. Research objective: to analyse and discuss the effectiveness of early identification of giftedness through contemporary art. Materials and methods. The experiment involved 130 preschoolers aged from 6 to 7, attending kindergartens in town Otradnoe, Samara region of the Russian Federation. The giftedness identification methods included: 1) the test “Art+”, realising the idea of duo-vector endowments (music and mathematics, fine arts and sports, music and language studies); 2) a number of tasks developed by the authors of the given article, involving a contemporary art component, which form altogether the educational module “Acquaintance with contemporary art”. The methods of mathematical statistics involved the Mann – Whitney U test, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results. The ISKRA technology is based on the current knowledge about giftedness, prepared, for due application to meet the solution of practical problems, in the course of the realisation of a 2018 research project supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research. The proposed diagnostic toolkit is centred on the “Art+” methodology which uses the principles of cybernetics in the organisation of the educational “art workshop” environment enriched with works of modern art (photography and video art objects, music, literary texts), materials for creativity (art-specific, pertaining to natural world and also to mathematics, sports, languages). The “Art+” methodology differs from other methods of revealing giftedness in that it focuses on duo-vector complexes: talents for music and mathematics (subtest “Melody of Numbers”), fine arts and sports (subtest “Living Ornament”), music and languages (subtest “Signals from Another Planet”). The second component of ISKRA is curricula for 16 sessions in the “art workshop” for 6 – 7-year old children, based on the material and methods of contemporary art integrating child’s art endeavours with other activities in order to activate “gifted behaviour”, and constituting the training module “Getting to Know Modern Art”. The observation of changes in the child’s behaviour under the influence of art in the process of related activity with creative elements makes it possible to reveal manifestations of giftedness, complementing the results of testing held twice – before and after the educational module classes. The research showed that the “art workshop” classes based on ISKRA technology had a positive effect on all 12 indicators of “gifted behaviour” (p < 0.01) with a varying degree of statistical significance. Conclusion. The obtained results made it possible to consider, in terms of the problem of early identification of giftedness, the possibility to identify the duo-vector giftedness of children, that is activated in response to the use of artistic means; to determine the specifics of “gifted behaviour” depending on the child’s ability to master the ISKRA educational technology that encompasses works of art combined with specific materials and techniques of contemporary art. The research makes it possible to set the guidelines for varying the model of early identification of giftedness and improving the scientific and methodological support for educational process involving gifted children aged 6-7.

Building, becoming, believing: Participatory land art for empathy and meliorism

In this participatory land art workshop, nature was used as a play material to represent the motif of metamorphosis while participants role-played herrings for empathy. The aim was to shift the perspective from our materials – which are agentic in co-constituting conditions evocative of empathy – to observing the outcome from a bird’s-eye view. The workshop sought to demonstrate the power of collaboration, by presenting an allegory of the collaboration of herd species such as herrings. Alone they/we are nothing but, with determination and a clear goal, we can create visible change in the environment and in emotions and attitudes like environmental empathy. Earlier research and this case demonstrate how ecological paradigms can be stimulated with the use of place-based art.

Batik Paintings, A Beautiful Cultural Heritage​

In early 2020, Malaysia’s creative industry was weakened by the country’s constant lockdown due to pandemic Covid-19. Lim Anuar, a deaf artist, illustrator, and designer, was struggling financially and missed his family in Vietnam as many galleries and art workshops were closed during this pandemic. In this research, the authors discussed the impact of Covid-19 towards creative industries globally, issues with Malaysian creative industry and batik during Covid-19, batik paintings during modern Malaysian art in between 60s-70s, Kwan Chin’s style of Modern Malaysian batik paintings, exploration of Lim Anuar’s batik paintings in contemporary Malaysian art. Three significant batik paintings of the artist’s interest namely Gotong-Royong II, Best Friends, and Family Togetherness, produced in 2021 were discussed in terms of subject, form, and content. The researchers found that there are some influences from the Western art namely Cubism and Kwan Chin’s “crackle” effect in Lim Anuar’s batik paintings. This study also clarifies that local artists especially those with special needs who contributed to the development of contemporary Malaysian art should be given more opportunities for career expansion and voice in the creative industry during the post-pandemic era of Covid-19.

I:DNA – Evaluating the impact of public engagement with a multimedia art installation on genetic screening

Art is increasingly being used by researchers as a medium to engage the public, yet evaluating and capturing impact remains challenging. We report an evaluation of a four-year public engagement project, I:DNA, designed to engage the public with research that explores the views and experiences of people with genetic conditions. An immersive art installation was exhibited at six scientific/cultural venues (2019–22), alongside several supplementary engagement activities, including talks, a game, ‘invisible theatre’, poetry workshops/performance and children’s art workshops. I:DNA reached over 26,500 people (online and in-person), and 268 people left some form of evaluation via postcards, online forms or emails. Through thematic analysis of this evaluation data, as well as the artistic outputs of supplementary activities, evidence of impact was identified in three key areas: changing views, inspiring behaviour change and supporting capacity for future public engagement. Implementation and evaluation of I:DNA highlights the challenges of evaluating the impact of complex arts-based public engagement projects, and the urgent need for methodological development to evaluate the processes by which impact occurs (not just the consequences of that impact), and the significance of venue and context, as well as the short-, medium- and long-term impacts of arts-based public engagement for both public and stakeholder groups.

AFFIRMATION IN EDUCATION INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS IN PROVIDING CLASSES FOR CHILDERN AT EARLY SCHOOL EDUCATION STATEMENT OF EXPERIMENTAL LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH

This article discusses the qualitative research supplementing a three-year (2015-2018) pedagogical experiment carried out in schools in southern Poland. The experiment was based on implementing an innovative visual art education program into the primary school curriculum in grades 1-3. This program the Science-Art-Education Model was created on the basis of international experience from countries such as Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. The innovative outline of art workshops for children used the assumptions of positive pedagogy and the psychology of happiness affirmation and visualization. This paper presents the results of psychometric and qualitative research that accompanied the quantitative research (children essays and self-portraits) as well as opinions of teachers who carried out the experiment regarding two variables: self-awareness and positive hope.

A Multianalytical Approach for the Characterisation of Materials on Selected Artworks by Monogrammist IP

This paper presents an investigation of wooden artworks from the collection of the National Gallery Prague created by Monogrammist IP-one of the top carvers of the Salzburg-Passau region at the beginning of the 16th century. His wood reliefs were examined to gain a better understanding of the historical techniques used in medieval art workshops. The internal structure of the small relief Visitation was analysed using computed tomography. Tomographic reconstruction made it possible to distinguish wood species, observe the internal structure of the artwork in detail, study the technological procedures and identify earlier repairs, additions and damages. Tomographic investigation proved the use of four types of wood on the relief Visitation, most likely pear, lime, unspecified softwood and other different species used for joining dowels. A combination of non-invasive and micro-destructive analytical techniques was employed for the chemical characterisation of the materials in the surface layers of the artworks. Photomicrographs of the surface were taken to provide material for the initial investigation. Non-invasive material research was conducted using a portable X-ray fluorescence analyser and, in selected cases, an external reflection infrared spectrometer. The detailed analyses on the micro-samples was carried out by optical microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. A glaze layer based on protein with earth pigment was identified on the relief Christ the Saviour from Death.

USING COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH TO PROMOTE MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY IN OLDER CHINESE

Abstract Whilst traditional mental health literacy programmes utilized a top-down approach, no bottom-up community-based participatory research (CBPR) model had been used to promote mental health literacy among older adults. Moreover, the existing CBPR model was developed in the West and might not be applicable in Chinese communities given different socio-cultural contexts. This research aimed to fill the gap by implementing a CBPR project to promote mental health literacy among older adults and developing a CBPR model in Chinese context. A year-long CBPR project was conducted in five Hong Kong districts from May 2021 to August 2022. A district advisory group was formed in each district, which comprised 50 community older adults, 2 NGO social workers, and 2 researchers. Each district had their own promotional activities that were initiated and designed by older adults, including street booths, art workshops, videos and photos to promote mental health and introduce relevant information and resources. Researchers recorded field observations in each district activity and conducted focus group discussions with stakeholders. Collected data suggested that specific elements are important for a CBPR model in Chinese context, including participant empowerment, technical support, stakeholder expectation management and potential community contribution. Following the implementation of district promotional activities, a territory-wide advisory group was formed to promote mental health literacy on a territory level in the coming year. This is the first large-scale CBPR project that promoted mental health literacy among older adults in Chinese context. Implications for future research and practice will be discussed.

Role of the arts in the life and mental health of young people that participate in artistic organizations in Colombia: a qualitative study

BackgroundAdolescents and young adults are vulnerable to developing mental distress. However, evidence suggests that more than half of the young people with symptoms of depression and anxiety overcome their distress within a year. However, there is little research on the exact resources that young people use and help them to recover. The aim of this study was to explore how arts activities can support the recovery of young people engaged with arts organizations in Bogota.MethodsWe recruited 38 participants from two arts organizations in Bogotá and conducted six focus groups embedded within artistic workshops. The type of activities in the workshops varied reflecting the different teaching methods of the two organizations. The focus group discussions were recorded and analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsFive themes explained how arts activities can help young people participating in artistic organizations to overcome mental distress: i) allowing the expression of emotions; ii) helping to manage and transform emotions; iii) distracting from problems; iv) facilitating social support and relationships; and v) contributing to the identity of young people.ConclusionsFor young people who participate in artistic organizations, the arts are a resource for overcoming negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and sadness. The beneficial role of arts activities includes different process of managing, expressing, and distracting from distress, and it differs depending on whether arts are perceived as a professional vocation or a hobby.

Artists’ workshops on the cultural map of Kyiv in the 1960s–1980s

The article takes the first step towards a systematic study of the network of art workshops in the city of Kyiv as it developed during the 1960s and 1980s. The artist’s workshop is presented by us as one of the main loci of professional artistic ubiquity, a room where the artist spends a significant part of his life, working and communicating with colleagues. The activities of the Kyiv branch of the Union of Artists of the Ukrainian SSR and the Art Fund of the Ukrainian SSR subordinated to the Union in the field of creating and providing artists with skills are analyzed as one of the directions of the implementation of the Soviet cultural policy: maintaining loyal attitudes in the artistic environment through the material support of artists, ensuring their daily professional needs. The phenomenon of Kyiv research workshops in the interdisciplinary field (using the methods of social history, cultural history, etc.). This made it possible to see the system of workshops as a structure: to typologize, that is, to distinguish different types of premises (residential buildings with workshops, specialized “combinations”, individual premises), to build a chronology of creation and visualize the Kyiv geography of the network of creative workshops.

Randomized controlled pilot study of feasibility and effectiveness of peer led remote Mindfulness‐Based Art Workshops on stress, anxiety, and depression in medical students

AbstractMedical students report high levels of psychological distress compared to the general population, yet they also underutilize mental health services. Our Mindfulness‐Based Art Workshops (MBAW) combine two established, formal interventions: (a) Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction, an 8‐week group series teaching mindfulness practices, shown to reduce self‐reported measures of stress, and (b) art therapy, the use of art exercises guided by certified therapists, shown to reduce stress and anxiety in hospitalized patients and students. The goal of our study was to determine if a peer‐led, virtual workshop series designed specifically for and by medical students may be a feasible and effective method of adapting these models to improve student well‐being. We hypothesized that virtual, medical student led MBAW are effective in reducing measures of stress, anxiety, and depression in medical students and improving well‐being scores. In 2020, 24 University of Maryland School of Medicine first‐ and second‐year medical students were randomized to either the MBAW or no‐intervention control group. Primary outcomes included (a) short‐term change in State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scores and (b) difference in the perceived stress scores between intervention and control group immediately after, and 2, 4, and 6 weeks after a 6‐session intervention. At specific time points, participants completed questionnaires, which included STAI and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox Perceived Stress survey. We compared the percentage of intervention participants who had clinically significant anxiety before and after MBAW for each session using a generalized estimating equations methodology and compared change from baseline scores between intervention and control groups using a mixed‐effects model for repeated measures analysis. In the intervention group, post‐MBAW STAI scores decreased by 16.2 (p = .0001), 5 (p = .1544), 13.7 (p = .0002), 13.6 (p = .0006), 12.1 (p = .0009), and 11.9 (p = .0011) points after sessions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively. Intervention group perceived stress scores decreased from baseline by 5.9 (p = .07) and 4.7 (p = .09) points more than the control group immediately after, and 2 weeks after the 6‐session intervention. MBAW sessions are effective at significantly reducing short‐term anxiety, and a 6‐session MBAW workshop intervention shows trends toward decreasing levels of perceived stress lasting 2 weeks following the intervention, although these findings were not statistically significant. Future studies should evaluate a larger population to confirm the positive findings of this pilot study, which we hope will encourage medical schools to consider integrating and supporting such programs as a method of addressing the urgent need to aid student well‐being, within logistical, time, and cost constraints of students and administrators.

Combating COVID-19 in Ghana using socio-pedagogical methods: educational campaign through children’s arts

Background: This brief report presents an action research project that was conducted in 2020 to contribute to approaches to ensure adherence to COVID-19 health protocols by children in Ghana. The research was on the basis that when adults allow children to share the burden of finding effective measures to the adherence of COVID-19 health protocols, the spread of the virus will be contained, which would also ensure the safety of children. Method: The action research was designed to be socially engaging, therefore a qualitative approach using Arts-Based-Research was adopted. Arts, as a socio-pedagogical method, was used as a tool to engage 189 children, between the ages of 4 and 15 years, in art workshops in Kumasi, Ghana’s second-largest city. The children, from different socioeconomic backgrounds, were aided by Art Assistants to handle the different art materials. Results: The different artistic depiction of children on COVID-19 suggests that the awareness created had reached many children irrespective of their socioeconomic background. However, how it was portrayed by the child participants introduced a fun aspect enabling the art materials to be used for advocacy. Conclusion: The medium, children’s art, used was innovative and caught the attention of children and adults alike, hence the art materials were effective advocacy materials. Also, the flexibility of the project design enabled the researchers to adapt the outputs to suit the rapidly evolving COVID-19 issues in the country to make the project more effective.

Diversity in Action: The Story of an Art Workshop for Neurodiverse Students

This paper presents the story of a unique academic course that focuses on the experience of shared learning and co-creation in a neurodiverse group of students in college. The Department of Special Education at Oranim College of Education strives to develop ahumanistic approach among special education preservice teachers that accepts every person, regardless of individual characteristics. These preservice teachers learn that it is important to support all dimensions of their students’ development, addressing their diverse learning needs. Based on this vision, special education preservice teachers were offered an art workshop, in which they participate with neurodiverse students with or without intellectual disability, coming from a variety of religions—Jews, Muslims and Christians. The field of art was chosen as it provides equal opportunity of expression for participants, without requiringprior abilities or skills. This paper will present the story of this course in the eyes of both the teaching staff and participants, dealing with themes such as apart and together, communication and connection, and different perspectives.